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The Patriots have signed former Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers linebacker James Anderson.

The team released former Rutgers wide receiver Mark Harrison to make room.

Anderson (6-3, 220 pounds), a veteran of eight NFL seasons, has experience as both a strong and weak outside linebacker. He's tallied 556 career tackles and 12 sacks. He started all 16 games last season for the Bears, his only year in Chicago. He led the Bears in tackles with 102.

Harrison never got off the ground in New England. He had been sidelined in 2013 after signing as a rookie free agent. The Patriots placed him on the reserve/non-football injury list. In the team's OTA practice open to the media last week, he dropped a Tom Brady pass that hit him in his hands.